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Evidence-Free Pregnancy Advice
I know why the hoopla around Emily Oster‘s new book, Expecting Better, bothers me, it’s because she hasn’t let you in on obstetrics’ big bad secret… and here it is…. from a pulmonologist. What Ms. Oster points out, and where she is absolutely correct, is that the data to support most pregnancy advice, indeed, most … Continue reading
The Women’s Table
Oh, no. I’m at the loser table, I thought walking into the large room for our summer intern lunch. I sat at my assigned table with the other female bioengineering summer interns and the one female manager, while looking around enviously as the male interns I worked with sat elsewhere with the men. Every woman who works in a male dominated field wants to be sitting at the table with the highest level leadership, and we know, just as everybody … Continue reading
On Names, from someone who doesn’t have one. Guest post by Stephen Brown
My name is Stephen Brown, I was born on the Isle of Wight. I am the fiancé referred to in the article. It is a common name in Britain, a very common name. Both parts. At my school I was not the only Brown, or the only Stephen. At work right now I am not … Continue reading
On Last Names
When I was in college, and far from marrying, my boyfriend and I had long debates about women and names. His last name was Friedman and he thought women ought to take their husband’s last name upon marriage. My mother did, but she and my father married at 18, right out of high-school, two years … Continue reading
On Names, from someone who has one
My name is Denitza Blagev, and I was born in Bulgaria. I’m not certain whether I have an accent or not, but if someone has heard my name, there’s a 50% chance that they’d exclaim “you don’t have an accent at all!” and a 50% chance that they’d say “I thought I noticed a slight … Continue reading
Judging by the Source
“Mom, who made the first people?” he asks me sweetly. It is already nine o’clock and well past his bedtime. Blah, blah, blah, I stumble a bit then build up to “people came from monkeys.” “Nah,” he says and gives me a sly smile as if I’m trying to trick him. My “really, they do!” … Continue reading
Rural Americans’ Healthcare SLC Tribune Editorial links
Here’s the link to my SLC Tribune Piece Sunday, June 9, 2013 Below are the links that were embedded in the piece. …..healthcare cost..is a major factor, but for many, geography correlates far more with what kind of care they get than health insurance status. …. While on vacation near what the guide book asterisk … Continue reading
Gorilla Glue and Heartbreak
“My friend said to tell you everything when I come,” she says as she opens a little zippered bag full of flakes. “My teeth are falling out and I can’t afford a dentist, so I use Gorilla Glue to glue back the pieces,” she says. She was referred to me for severe asthma, but she … Continue reading
Hubris
“I think he’s just anxious about it,” the medical student told me a few sentences into the presentation. His patient had had a spontaneous pneumothorax, a leak of air between the lung and chest wall, a few years ago, and now he had some uncomfortable feeling and was worried about a recurrence. I hadn’t heard the full story … Continue reading
Slow Medicine
Time heals all wounds, they say, or, in medicine, if not all, then many. But with our improved efficiency and throughput of patients, we fail to allow this most magical treatment to work. The pace and intensity of medicine has increased exponentially over the past several decades. We see more doctors, have more procedures, take … Continue reading
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